Founder of the Islam Channel awarded £140,000 in libel damages

In a judgment handed down on 30 March 2017 Sir David Eady, sitting as a Judge of the High Court, awarded Mohamed Ali Harrath, the founder and CEO of the Islam Channel, £140,000 in libel damages.

Mr Harrath brought the claim against the Stand for Peace website and its director Samuel Westrop over an article first published on 27 October 2014, which falsely alleged that Mr Harrath was guilty of terrorism.

Much of the Defence was abandoned or struck out following a hearing before Mr Justice Warby in March 2016, the judgment from which can be found here.

The Defendants failed to satisfy a resulting costs order against them, following which the Court made an order debarring the Defendants from defending the claim. The case then came before Sir David Eady for a hearing to assess damages.

In awarding Mr Harrath £140,000 in libel damages the Judge observed that: “there was simply no evidence to support the allegation of terrorism” and stated that “the sum awarded should be such as to leave interested onlookers in no doubt as to the baselessness of the Defendants’ charge against him.”

The full judgment can be found here. A 5RB case report can be found here.